three short things: the carol corps, a laptop, and galleys
November 11th, 2013
I’m not sure why the series has to stop and then re-start again, but it was indeed a pretty special issue of a pretty special book. And, though the writer of this article doesn’t mention it, it does matter that Captain Marvel doesn’t wear some sort of impractical peekaboo superhero costume (unlike, you know, some female superheroes). That sets a certain tone right from the start.
I talked about Captain Marvel before (at the bottom, after the part about Moonrise Kingdom).
Android laptop
As I said in my comment to my post about backups, my one complaint about Android tablets is that it’s entirely too difficult to back things up to external media (hard drives, flash drives).
Well, it turns out that there is a solution to this without leaving the Android world — there are Android laptops, and I’m writing this on one. 🙂 So, all the advantages of Android, plus I can easily copy to external drives.
Galleys and ARCs (Advance Reader Copies)
This kind of puzzled me, I admit: ” Is It Ethical For Bookstores To Sell Uncorrected Proofs?“
The questions about bookstores selling advanced reader copies are one thing (I remember record stores that sold review copies of albums, which was also a no-no), but I’ve always assumed that Advance Reader Copies were different from galleys.
Galleys are, by definition, unfinished, and why would you give them to anybody who didn’t have some responsibility for checking and polishing them? I would think (and I invite clarification if I’m missing something) that if something isn’t final enough to sell, it also isn’t final enough to send to a bookstore to pique their interest. Would you send it to a critic to review?
I have an ARC of A Simplified Map of the Real World (which I’m not selling 🙂 ), and my understanding is that it’s pretty much the final version of the book. On the other hand, I have received beta copies of various works which I’ve read, and which I would never share with anybody.
So, what am I missing?
Entry Filed under: Publishing,Tech Topics
4 Comments Add your own
1. Laura Stanfill | November 12th, 2013 at 11:38 am
I used to think the ARC and galley terms were interchangeable, but I believe galleys are intended for final edits, even though these days they’re printed in book form. ARCs (advance reader copy, advance review copy, I’ve heard both) are for readers to review or blurb.
A friend of mine had galleys issued late, so they were exactly the same as the final book and also the version sent out to the press. So maybe some presses use them interchangeably. I’m working on our first printed ARC, doing edits, so I’d consider this a galley round, although the results will be sent out to the media.
2. Anthony Lee Collins | November 13th, 2013 at 8:51 am
Laura: I think this is separate from the ethical question, and I think this one is on the publisher and the writer. If a book is unfinished enough to be potentially embarrassing, keep it to yourself until it’s ready. When I was in bands, we didn’t send out demos until they were as good as we could possibly make them. As the saying goes, you don’t get a second chance at making a good first impression, and unfinished works that you send out into the world (beyond trusted beta readers or people like that) do tend to travel farther than you might want.
3. Maggie | November 12th, 2013 at 8:46 pm
I don’t know why a bookstore would sell uncorrected proofs, unless it was some kind of promotion event or a special giveaway. I’d think it would be unprofessional, not just unethical.
4. Anthony Lee Collins | November 13th, 2013 at 8:45 am
Maggie: I agree. Imagine if it was an automobile, maybe a demo of a new model that the manufacturer sent to a dealer to get the dealer excited about the new features — and the dealer sold the demo unit. I’m thinking that wouldn’t go over very well. 🙂
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